Search a film or person :
FacebookConnectionRegistration
Home > All persons > Bobby Driscoll
Bobby Driscoll is a Actor American born on 3 march 1937 at Cedar Rapids (USA)

Bobby Driscoll

Bobby Driscoll
If you like this person, let us know!
Birth name Robert Cletus Driscoll
Nationality USA
Birth 3 march 1937 at Cedar Rapids (USA)
Death 30 march 1968 (at 31 years)
Awards Academy Juvenile Award

Robert Cletus "Bobby" Driscoll (March 3, 1937 – March 30, 1968) was an American child actor known for a large body of cinema and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. He starred in some of the Walt Disney Studios' most popular live-action pictures of that period, such as Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1948), and Treasure Island (1950). He served as animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). In 1950, he received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performance in feature films.

In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. After his release he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. In ill health due to his substance abuse, and with his funds completely depleted, he died in 1968, less than four weeks after his 31st birthday.

Biography

Actif de 1943 à 1960, Bobby Driscoll a mené une carrière d'enfant star, jouant dans de nombreuses productions des Studios Disney. Il s'illustra notamment dans le rôle de Jim Hawkins, protagoniste de L'île au Trésor en 1950. Il mourut prématurément à 31 ans, oublié et dans la misère, victime de son addiction aux drogues dures.




Enfance
Bobby Driscoll est l'enfant unique de Cletus Driscoll, un vendeur en isolation, et d'Isabelle Kratz Driscoll, institutrice. Quelque temps après sa naissance la famille Driscoll emménage à Des Moines à l'ouest de sa ville natale. Ils y restent jusqu'en 1943, quand le médecin de famille conseille à Cletus de partir pour la Californie en raison d'une maladie pulmonaire qui affecte la santé de celui-ci. La famille Driscoll prend le chemin pour Los Angeles. Un jour, en accompagnant son père chez le barbier, Bobby est remarqué par ce dernier qui a un fils qui travaille à la MGM et il conseille aux Driscoll de présenter leur fils à des castings. C'est ainsi que Bobby obtient la même année un rôle aux côtés de l'enfant-acteur Margaret O'Brien dans le film L'Ange perdu. Les petits rôles se succèdent et, malgré son jeune âge, Bobby fait preuve d'une curiosité et d'une intelligence incroyable ainsi que d'une grande capacité à rapidement et facilement retenir ses répliques.


Carrière d'enfant prodige
Bobby Driscoll obtient ensuite le rôle du petit Al Sullivan, le plus jeune des cinq frères Sullivan, dans le film dramatique The Sullivans produit durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale par la 20th Century Fox, avec Thomas Mitchell et Anne Baxter (1944). Avec son jeu naturel et ses dispositions pour mémoriser si jeune ses répliques, il est bientôt considéré comme un nouvel « enfant prodige ». Un grand studio le recommande à un autre, ce qui conduit Bobby à enchaîner les rôles comme celui du garçon qui peut siffler en se tenant debout sur la tête dans Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944), d'être le « frère des enfants » de Richard Arlen dans The Big Bonanza (1944), et incarner le jeune Percy Maxim dans So Goes My Love (1946), avec Don Ameche et Myrna Loy. En outre, il a eu un certain nombre de petits rôles dans des films tels que Identity Unknown en 1945, puis dans Miss Susie Slagle's, From This Day Forward, et Les Héros dans l'ombre avec Alan Ladd, trois films sortis en 1946.


Disney
Robert Driscoll fut le premier acteur engagé sous contrat par Walt Disney et il tient le rôle du personnage principal dans Mélodie du Sud (1946) en introduisant ainsi la prise de vues réelles dans l'image animée où on retrouve Frère Renard, Frère Ours et Frère Lapin. Bobby Driscoll et sa co-star Luana Patten étaient pressentis pour recevoir le prix spécial des meilleurs enfants acteurs aux Oscars du cinéma 1946, mais aucun prix spécial n'a été décerné cette année-là.


Distinctions
Le 23 mars 1950, Bobby Driscoll reçoit un Oscars spécial de la jeunesse remis par Donald O'Connor lors de la 22e cérémonie des Oscars.

En 1960, il reçoit son étoile sur le Hollywood Walk of Fame, située au 1560 Vine Street.

Il fait partie des quelques rares personnalités célèbres à être enterrées au cimetière de Hart Island.

Best films

Peter Pan
Peter Pan
(1953)
(Actor) Song of the South
Song of the South
(1946)
(Actor)

Usually with

Walt Disney
Walt Disney
(8 films)
Jack Kinney
Jack Kinney
(5 films)
Paul J. Smith
Paul J. Smith
(5 films)
Ernest Laszlo
Ernest Laszlo
(2 films)
Pinto Colvig
Pinto Colvig
(4 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Bobby Driscoll (26 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Lilies of the Field
Lilies of the Field (1963)
, 1h34
Directed by Ralph Nelson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about religion
Actors Sidney Poitier, Lilia Skala, Dan Frazer, Jester Hairston, Stanley Adams, Bobby Driscoll
Roles Mexican Holding Chapel Door (uncredited)
Rating74% 3.747353.747353.747353.747353.74735
Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) is an itinerant handyman/jack-of-all-trades who stops at a farm in the Arizona desert to obtain some water for his car. There he sees several women working on a fence, very ineptly. The women, who speak very little English, introduce themselves as German, Austrian and Hungarian nuns. The mother superior, the leader of the nuns, persuades him to do a small roofing repair. He stays overnight, assuming that he will be paid in the morning. Next day, Smith tries to persuade the mother superior to pay him by quoting Luke 10:7, "The laborer is worthy of his hire." Mother Maria Marthe (Lilia Skala, called "Mother Maria"), responds by asking him to read another Bible verse from the Sermon on the Mount: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
The Scarlet Coat
The Scarlet Coat (1955)
, 1h35
Directed by John Sturges
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Adventure, Historical, Romance
Themes Political films, Films about capital punishment
Actors Cornel Wilde, Michael Wilding, George Sanders, Anne Francis, Robert Douglas, John McIntire
Roles Ben Potter
Rating62% 3.147943.147943.147943.147943.14794
In 1780, General Benedict Arnold commands the Continental Army defences at West Point, New York. Major John Bolton (Cornel Wilde), a dragoon officer assigned to counter-intelligence, intercepts and kills a British spy leaving the Storm King Tavern, and captures a letter found on the spy. He reports to Gen. Robert Howe (John McIntire), that the coded message was from the British spy calling himself "Gustavus" to "James Osborn", in care of Dr. Jonathan Odell of New York, stating that Arnold has taken command at West Point. The secret knowledge indicates that the spy is a "highly placed person". Bolton returns to the tavern, where one of his contacts, stableboy Ben Potter (Bobby Driscoll), tells him that the Tory wife of a redcoat, Mrs. Sally Cameron (Anne Francis), is travelling under a flag of truce possibly carrying information to the enemy. She catches them searching her room, where Bolton takes her safe conduct pass after verbally sparring with her. Mrs. Cameron tries to seduce Bolton to obtain its return, but he rebuffs her. A messenger arrives with a package for "Mr. Moody," but when no one by that name can be found, another traveler, Col. Winfield, offers to deliver the package. Bolton recognizes that Winfield is an imposter, and in a struggle over the package, kills him. Other American officers arrest Bolton for murder and deliver him to Howe.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1953)
, 1h16
Directed by Wilfred Jackson, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about children, Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Théâtre, Transport films, Pirate films, Mermaids in film, Les fées, Musical films, Films about disabilities, Films based on plays, Children's films
Actors Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Margaret Kerry, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson, Paul Collins
Roles Peter Pan (voice)
Rating72% 3.6482753.6482753.6482753.6482753.648275
Set in London, circa 1900, George and Mary Darling's preparations to attend a party are disrupted by the antics of their boys, John and Michael, acting out a story about Peter Pan and the pirates, told to them by their older sister, Wendy. Their father, who is fed up with the stories that have made his children less practical, angrily declares that Wendy has gotten too old to continue staying in the nursery with them, and it's time for her to grow up and have a room of her own. That night, they are visited in the nursery by Peter Pan himself, who teaches them to fly with the help of his pixie friend, Tinker Bell, and takes them with him to the island of Never Land.
The Happy Time
The Happy Time (1952)
, 1h34
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Themes Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Charles Boyer, Louis Jourdan, Marsha Hunt, Bobby Driscoll, Linda Christian, Kurt Kasznar
Roles Robert 'Bibi' Bonnard
Rating67% 3.3879153.3879153.3879153.3879153.387915
Young Robert "Bibi" Bonnard (Bobby Driscoll) grows up in Ottawa, Ontario with his parents, Jacques (Charles Boyer) and Susan (Marsha Hunt), and his roving rogue of a grandfather, Grandpere (Marcel Dalio). Across the street is his uncle, amiable drunkard Louis (Kurt Kasznar), who ignores the complaints of his hard-working dressmaker wife Felice (Jeanette Nolan) and her worries about the future of their daughter Yvonne. Louis agitates about meeting his prospective son-in-law, Alfred Grattin, a teetotaler bank clerk who wishes to marry Yvonne. Next-door neighbour and schoolmate Peggy O'Hare (Marlene Cameron) has a crush on Bibi, but he is as yet too young to understand.
Father's Lion
Father's Lion (1952)
, 6minutes
Directed by Jack Kinney
Origin USA
Genres Animation
Themes Films about animals, Children's films
Actors Pinto Colvig, Bobby Driscoll
Roles Goofy Jr. (voice)
Rating66% 3.337363.337363.337363.337363.33736
Dingo, ici sous le nom de George Geef, veut montrer à son fils comment attraper un lion des montagnes !
When I Grow Up
When I Grow Up (1951)
, 1h30
Directed by Michael Kanin
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Bobby Driscoll, Robert Preston, Martha Scott, Sherry Jackson, Ralph Dumke, Paul Guilfoyle (acteur, 1902-1961)
Roles Josh / Danny Reed
Rating80% 4.038484.038484.038484.038484.03848
This script must be run from the command line
Fathers Are People
Fathers Are People (1951)
, 6minutes
Directed by Jack Kinney
Origin USA
Genres Animation
Themes Children's films
Actors Pinto Colvig, Bobby Driscoll, June Foray, Rhoda Williams
Roles Goofy Jr. (voice) (uncredited)
Rating67% 3.3820253.3820253.3820253.3820253.382025
Dingo, ici sous le nom de George, découvre les joies et les malheurs d'être père.
Treasure Island
Treasure Island (1950)
, 1h36
Directed by Byron Haskin
Origin USA
Genres Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films, Films about disabilities, Children's films, L'Or
Actors Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Finlay Currie, Walter Fitzgerald, Denis O'Dea
Roles Jim Hawkins
Rating68% 3.4459553.4459553.4459553.4459553.445955
In the West Coast of England in 1765, a young boy called Jim Hawkins lives with his mother in a tiny country inn which they run. Captain William Bones, a sickly lodger, gives Hawkins a treasure map after being visited by two pirates, the second of whom gives the captain a note marked with the black spot. That same night Bones is found dead at the inn, and Hawkins shows Squire Trelawney the map. Trelawney recognises the map as belonging to the buccaneer Captain Flint and bankrolls a voyage to discover the pirate's lost treasure. Trelawney hires Captain Smollett and his ship, the Hispaniola, bringing along his friend Dr. Livesey as the ship's doctor and Hawkins as the cabin boy.
One Hour in Wonderland
One Hour in Wonderland (1950)

Directed by Richard Wallace, Robert Florey
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical, Animation
Themes Children's films
Actors Walt Disney, Kathryn Beaumont, Bobby Driscoll, Edgar Bergen, Hans Conried, Adriana Caselotti
Roles Himself / Peter Pan
Rating69% 3.470493.470493.470493.470493.47049
Edgar Bergen informs Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd that Walt Disney has invited them to a tea party. Charlie is hesitant to go, but reluctantly changes his mind when he learns Kathryn Beaumont will be there. While driving to the studio, Edgar tells the story of Alice in Wonderland, much to Charlie's dismay. When they arrive, Walt Disney tells everyone that he was able to buy the Magic Mirror from Snow White (who apparently got it from the Wicked Queen). Charlie insults the mirror, calling it a "hopped-up television set." This enrages the mirror but Walt calms him down. The Mirror then shows everybody what they wish to see. He shows Kathryn a scene from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Charlie the Mickey Mouse short Clock Cleaners (although Charlie wanted to see himself), Bobby Driscoll a Br'er Rabbit story, Mortimer a Pluto short, and Edgar a performance by Firehouse Five Plus Two. At the end of the song, they see Walt, and frantically finish a scene with Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The Mirror at first refuses to show the unfinished Alice in Wonderland, but changes his mind when everyone wants to see it. The Mirror then reluctantly shows a scene from Alice in Wonderland. At the end of the special, Edgar has acquired the Magic Mirror. Charlie tries to make a deal with the mirror, but it turns out Mortimer is the new slave of the magic mirror. Charlie changes his mind and goes to sleep.
The Window
The Window (1949)
, 1h13
Directed by Fred Fleck
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes Films about children, Heist films
Actors Barbara Hale, John Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman, Bobby Driscoll, Richard Benedict
Roles Tommy Woodry
Rating73% 3.695483.695483.695483.695483.69548
Set and filmed on location in the tenement section of New York's Lower East Side, the film tells the story of a young boy, Tommy Woodry (Driscoll), who has a habit of crying wolf. Late one night, he climbs up the building fire escape and sees his two seemingly normal neighbors, Mr and Mrs Kellerson, murder a drunken sailor in their apartment. No one, neither the boy's parents nor the police, believes young Tommy when he tells them what he has seen, since they all assume that this is just another of the boy's tall tales.
So Dear to My Heart
So Dear to My Heart (1948)
, 1h19
Directed by Harold D. Schuster, Hamilton Luske
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Animation
Themes Children's films
Actors Bobby Driscoll, Luana Patten, Beulah Bondi, Burl Ives, Harry Carey, John Beal
Roles Jeremiah 'Jerry' Kincaid
Rating66% 3.3446653.3446653.3446653.3446653.344665
Set in Indiana in 1903, the film tells the tale of Jeremiah Kincaid (Bobby Driscoll) and his determination to raise a black-wool lamb that had been rejected by its mother. Jeremiah names the lamb Danny for the famed race horse, Dan Patch (who is also portrayed in the film). Jeremiah's dream of showing Danny at the Pike County Fair must overcome the obstinate objections of his loving—yet tough—grandmother Granny (Beulah Bondi). Jeremiah's confidant, Uncle Hiram (Burl Ives), is the boy's steady ally. Inspired by the animated figures and stories, the boy perseveres.
Melody Time
Melody Time (1948)
, 1h15
Directed by Wilfred Jackson, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about music and musicians, Films about birds, Musical films, Children's films
Actors Roy Rogers, Dennis Day, Frances Langford, Bob Nolan, Pinto Colvig, Bobby Driscoll
Roles Bobby Driscoll
Rating61% 3.0518953.0518953.0518953.0518953.051895
Mélodie Cocktail a pour maître de cérémonie un masque ayant la voix de Buddy Clark. Chacune des séquences, dont le titre s'anime grâce à un pinceau sur une partition de musique, est chantée par un artiste des années 1940-50.